Hey tsk,
Very apt review. I used to own a Aug '02 DLS & I suffered most of the problems that you have...especially the silencer clamp thing. That drove me to my wits end! I'd changed it three times & before the 4th time I sold it off. The A/C would just keep on cutting but then my condenser fan wasn't working. If GTO remembers the ride in my car with the A/c on..he'd asked me..'dude this is your A/C !' Hahaha...thats when I told me that the condenser fan had conked off. You're wheel bearings went off pretty quickly though..mine I had to change when the car had logged in around 40k kms which is fair & understandable. And about the glow plugs I don't think they cost that much since I'd to replace one at around 50k kms. Was about 300bucks I think..do check with the local market although mine was replaced at a TATA service center. There are some parts in TATA that are over inflated & its better that you buy it from outside. Now I know most of you'd hate me for saying this but my advise would be not to give Indica in a TATA center. Find a good mechanic & he can do the same job for less money & time. I never went to service station for oil changes after my free services had expired. Indica is no complex machinery & dead cheap to maintain. That, the mileage & huge space in the car is the USP of the car. Hopelessly underpowered is not the word to describe it. I never crossed 100kmph in my car simply because it required too much effort !
& I agree with you when you say that if you have less money only then this is the car to buy although my reason for buying it was the mileage. Surprisingly I never got more than 12-13kmpl with A/C in bombay city conditions. Used it for 2yrs & in Sept '04 chucked it for the CRDi.